Here’s just a sampling of our new content for December. You'll find more dynamic content on each category’s home page.

Management

• Cultivating Effective Corporate Cultures
  What factors influence corporate culture? And how can businesses develop the kind of culture that fosters productivity and profitability? AMA commissioned a study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity to find out.

Professional Development

• Six Benefits of a Bottom-Rung Job
  Everybody’s got to start somewhere. The author of Everything I Know About Business I Learned at McDonald’s explains what Jay Leno, Sharon Stone, and Jeff Bezos already know: a low-level job can teach you a lot.

Leadership

• Leadership vs. Power
  If you aspire to leadership greatness, look to George Washington as a role model. Athough he served his country nobly, he walked away from great power twice in his life—and he refused to be crowned king.

Sales & Marketing

• A Socratic Approach to Successful Selling
  The Socratic Method remains as relevant today as it was in ancient Greece. Using targeted Q&A, the savvy salesperson can create a Socratic dialog with the customer to determine how to best meet the customer’s needs—and close the sale.

HR/Training

• Partying During the Downturn
  To party or not to party? For many corporate leaders, that is indeed the question as 2008 limps to a close. In the wake of layoffs and a general climate of belt-tightening, one thing is sure: nobody’s partying like it’s 1999.

Global Perspectives

• Study Shows That, Globally Speaking, Firms Have a Lot to Learn
  A new study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity and the American Society for Training & Development shows that despite increased globalization, for many companies, there remains a large chasm between what they do and what they should do to succeed at a global level.

Small Business

• Seven Ways to Increase Employee ROI
  Even in a downturn, employee retention is fundamental to the success of a small business. Smart business owners look for ways to get more “downturn return” from their employees while keeping them engaged and happy.

AMA Book of the Month

Lead By Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results, by John Baldoni (AMACOM, 2008). How do leaders inspire others to follow them? Baldoni explains: By setting the right example, acting the part, and learning to deal with the tough stuff.

Read an excerpt from the book: “Top Fifteen Things Leaders Need to Know to Inspire Results.”

For more information about this book and AMACOM’s extensive catalog of business titles, visit www.amacombooks.org